Employee’s Training and Development for Optimum Productivity: The Role of Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Nigeria

Stephen Talabi Aroge

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine the contributions of Industrial Training Fund (ITF) to employee’s training and development in Nigeria. Survey research was used in order to carry out the study. Three hundred and sixty (360) respondents from university and polytechnic students, Nigeria Labour Congress and Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) were sampled. Three research questions were generated from the literature review, questionnaire on the contributions of ITF to manpower development in Nigeria, and the responses elicited from respondents were numerically quantified, tabulated and analyzed using the Likert Scale. The analysis shows that Industrial Training Fund (ITF), since its inception has been contributing immensely to manpower development in Nigeria through its various programmes which include direct training targeted at employees both in public and private sector, reimbursement and grant scheme, student industrial work experience scheme (SIWES), research and consultancy services, among others. It is recommended, among other things, that more funds should be made available to the organization so it can also take care of students studying education in institutions of higher learning through its reimbursement and grant scheme, and that special training programmes should be organized under the auspices of Industrial Training Fund (ITF) to cater for those who are unemployed for the purpose of raising small business entrepreneurs.